The Angels' Bobby Abreu waits to bat against the Baltimore Orioles during the second inning Friday. ROB CARR, GETTY IMAGES

BALTIMORE - The Angels haven’t been able to gain ground in the AL West race, actually falling farther behind the Texas Rangers in the past five days.

But they have been gaining ground in another race — the one to decide the AL’s wild-card team.

Thanks to the Boston Red Sox’s 3-11 skid to start September, the Angels went into Friday's game almost as close to the wild-card lead (four games back) as to the first-place Rangers (3 1/2).

“If we do, does that change what we need to do?” Angels manager Mike Scioscia said when asked if his team was now viewing the wild-card option as a way into the postseason. “Our focus on reaching our goal (the playoffs) hasn’t changed and what we need to do to reach our goal hasn’t changed.

“We don’t have the great luxury of a lot of do-overs at this point. We need to play at a high level every day and we’re capable of doing that.”

The two teams ahead of the Angels in the wild-card race, the Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays (just a game closer than the Angels), are playing each other this weekend. Boston won Friday's game against Tampa Bay, extending its lead over the Angels (five games) and Rays (four games).

“I followed it a little more yesterday than I had been because I was sitting around my (hotel) room watching TV,” Angels outfielder Peter Bourjos said. “If we sweep (the Orioles) and the Rays sweep (the Red Sox), we’d be just a game back.

“The biggest thing is we’ve got to keep winning games.”

Bourjos’ optimism took a blow with the Angels’ 8-3 loss to the Orioles on Friday night. But he and his teammates don’t have to look far to find a wild-card team that was even farther out at this point in the season.

The 2007 Colorado Rockies were five games out after the 149th game of the season but came back to force a one-game playoff with the San Diego Padres for the wild-card spot and went on to reach the World Series.

However, no AL team has come back from 31/2 games down or more with 13 to play and claimed a division or league crown. It has happened five times in the NL since 1964: the 2007 Phillies, 2001 Cardinals, 1973 Mets, 1965 Dodgers and 1964 Cardinals, who were 61/2 games behind the Philadelphia Phillies with 13 games to play.

“So it’s doable,” Scioscia said, shrugging his shoulders at the history. “But that doesn’t change our focus. Our focus right now is to win ballgames.”

SUNDAY STARTER

Scioscia has declined to confirm his plans, but Jered Weaver will start on short rest Sunday here unless something comes up during his preparation before then.

“If he feels good with his workout, it’s going to make it a feasible proposition,” Scioscia said Friday, as close as he would come to saying Weaver will start on three days rest. “We haven’t made our decision.”

Scioscia already said a week ago that Weaver would be asked to start on short rest “at some point” down the stretch. The only options now are to do it Sunday in Baltimore (lining him up for two starts on regular rest on the season-ending homestand including the final game of the regular season), against the A’s at home on Sept. 23 (a start he will now make on regular rest) or in the season finale against the Rangers (a game that could potentially decide a playoff spot).

NOTES

Angels minor-league right-hander Matt Shoemaker is one of 24 players named to Team USA for the World Cup and Pan Am Games this fall. Mike Trout played for Team USA in the qualifying tournament last fall. Shoemaker, 24, was signed as an undrafted free agent out of Easter Michigan University in 2008. He fell one victory short of winning the pitching Triple Crown in the Double-A Texas League this year with a 12-5 record while leading the league in ERA (2.48), shutouts (two), complete games (five), strikeouts (129) and ERA and WHIP (1.07). The World Cup will be held in Panama Oct. 2-15 followed by the Pan Am Games in Guadalajara, Mexico Oct. 20-25.

SATURDAY

Angels RHP Ervin Santana (11-11, 3.30) is scheduled to start against Orioles LHP Zach Britton (9-10, 4.43). Game time is 4:05 p.m. and it will be broadcast on KCOP, KLAA/830 AM and KWKW/1330 AM in Spanish.

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